Washington and Hamilton: The Great Collaboration

Stephen Knott, professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, examines the most important collaboration in American history—the unlikely alliance between a wealthy Virginia planter and a brash immigrant from the Caribbean who went on to establish a “new order for the ages.” George Washington and Alexander Hamilton fought for the better part of twenty-five years to secure the American experiment in the face of bitter partisan opposition at home and determined enemies abroad. What makes Washington and Hamilton unique from other founding collaborations is that their bond was forged in the crucible of the Revolutionary War. This collaboration was vital to winning that war, adopting the Constitution, and creating the institutions necessary to secure liberty at home and respect abroad.

The unlikely partnership of George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, and the brief Federalist moment they presided over, allowed the United States to build the institutions that launched the nation on a path to becoming a superpower. If George Washington was the “indispensable man” of the American founding, then Washington and Hamilton’s collaboration was the “indispensable alliance” that determined the outcome of the creation of the United States of America.

The lecture will last 45 minutes with time afterwards for questions.